WASHINGTON – The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today condemned the Florida Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Democratic Caucus for harassing Congressman Allen West over his support for traditional marriage, and sharply criticized the Wilton Manors Business Association for rescinding a speaking invitation to Congressman West in response to pressure from gay activists. At the same time, NOM praised the Sun Sentinel for editorializing against these intimidation tactics.

“It is outrageous that gay activists would harass Congressman West because he believes in marriage between a man and a woman, and threaten to boycott members of a business group who invited him to speak on business issues,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president. “Unfortunately, this is the new approach being utilized by the gay marriage movement in America. They do not want to civilly debate the issues; instead, they attempt to silence opponents through intimidation, harassment and threats.”

In response to the threatened boycott of its members by the gay activist group, the Wilton Manors Business Association rescinded its speaking invitation to Congressman West to discuss business issues.

“It is equally outrageous that the local business group buckled under this pressure and rescinded their invitation to Congressman West. What kind of business group cowers in the face of intimidation directed at its members?” Brown said. “This is a group that claims to fight for businesses, yet buckles in the face of pressure from a small, partisan group that represents a tiny fraction of the community. Perhaps businesses should reconsider their support for such a cowardly association.”

In an unusual development, the Sun Sentinel, a Tribune Company newspaper based in south Florida and a supporter of same-sex marriage, editorialized against the tactics deployed by gay activists, calling them “intolerable.”

“We praise the Sun Sentinel for speaking out against these tactics of intimidation,” Brown said. “This is one of the few times where a mainstream newspaper, regardless of their position on same-sex marriage, has publicly spoken out against the tactics of intimidation increasingly being adopted by gay marriage advocates. We hope that other media outlets will similarly condemn this ugly course of conduct. Reasonable people can disagree about gay marriage, but there is no room for harassment, intimidation and threats against supporters of traditional marriage.”

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President of NOM, or Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board of NOM, please contact Mary Beth Hutchins, [email protected] at 703-683-5004 ext. 105.